Sustaining relationships with our past students and their families holds great significance for all of us at Parkside. Observing the personal and professional development of our alumni and celebrating their achievements serves as a constant wellspring of inspiration, motivating us to continue our endeavors for the betterment of our present students.
Hi, my name is Maude Lehmann, I was at Parkside from 2010 to 2015. I was then at Summit from 2015 to 2018. And now I’m at the High School of Art & Design in the major of cartooning, I’ll be graduating from there next week and then in August I’ll be starting at Vassar College. I’m so honored to be speaking to you all today on the day of your graduation, Parkside is a really special school.
“For those of us who attended Parkside’s 35th Anniversary Gatsby Gala, the glow of the evening continues to live on in our hearts and minds. It was clear from the start that everyone attending was there with a singular vibrant purpose: to raise money to support our extraordinary staff, teachers and therapists, and to have a complete blast doing so!” — Leslie Thorne, Co-Head of School
The global pandemic has certainly taught all of us resilience and flexibility. Children had to wear masks, shift between virtual and in-person learning, negotiate friendships from a distance, and navigate a new world of rules and restrictions. They also processed complex feelings about an uncertain and unpredictable future. In the Occupational Therapy department, we have been very proud of our students for their adaptability and good cheer.
Here is some of the latest news we’ve hear from our wonderful alumni. Owen Barbagallo ’16 qualified for the National Geographics Geography Bee, Jack Rubin ’09 is finishing his Freshman year at Pace University, Armand Klisivitch ’08 has been busy writing for ThePuckAuthority.com, and more!
On Friday, October 25 students had the opportunity to learn about how skyscrapers are built from a team of wonderful volunteers from Lendlease, an international property and infrastructure group with core expertise in shaping cities and creating strong and connected communities.
On Friday, September 20, Parkside was delighted to welcome two special educators from Sweden! With the intent of gathering best practices for children with speech, language and communication difficulties, Mona Karlsson and Linda Hallberg made Parkside a “must see” part of their itinerary during their four-day visit to New York City.
This summer Parkside is undergoing some work to repair the beautiful facades of our two buildings. Contractors are cleaning, repairing and re pointing the bricks, and have removed a number of the terra cotta elements that will be refurbished or replaced.
The work prompted us to look back at a 1996 article in The New York Times that gives a wonderful perspective about the history of our little piece of the Upper West Side. Parkside occupies #48 and #50 West 74th Street.
The Parkside School community gathered on Thursday evening at Arena in celebration of the school's 30th anniversary. It was a night like no other! From Al Roker's remarks, to The Dance Cartel's performance, to the Parkside parents, alumni and friends dressed to the max in 80s/90s gear, a fun time was had by all.
The event benefited new outdoor play and learning spaces for Parkside students, and thanks to the generosity of our benefactors and donors, raised more than $260,000 that will enable construction to begin on the third floor terrace within the next year.
One of the highlights of the evening was the video above, produced by Craig Kabrhel and Melissa Gelade to commemorate this important milestone.
The following slideshow, a look back at 30 Years of Parkside, was also shown at the event:
Many thanks to all who attended the event and gave in support of Parkside's 30th anniversary, and special thanks to Heidi Green of Heidi Green Photography for capturing the night for us!
On Thursday, June 15, 2017, The Parkside School celebrated the graduation of the Class of 2017. Our thirteen graduates will be going on to school's including the American School of Milan, Community School, The Computer School, Lowell School, Mary McDowell Friends School, Summit School, and York Prep.
During the ceremony, which was held at the JCC on 76th and Amsterdam, Conor Devlin '06 reflected on his Parkside experience, and gave our newest class of alumni some great advice. The following is the full trascript of his speech.
In 2014, The Parkside School held a benefit at Del Posto honoring Al Roker and Deborah Roberts. It was a festive evening, featuring “A Night of Comedy” exquisitely crafted by Sherri Shepherd with comic Joy Behar, Judy Gold, Diane Neal, and Tammy Pescatelli. Leading up to the event, Parkside set the goal of creating a dedicated fund that would help our school attract, develop and retain exceptional teachers and offer outstanding professional development opportunities.
The event raised more than $3.1 million thanks to 64 donors and a generous leadership challenge from the Isenberg family. Today, the fund’s balance has grown to more than $3.5 million, and the impact of that support can be seen throughout our school. Parkside’s annual budget for professional development includes more than $65,000 specifically for teacher training, consultants, conferences and initiatives that strengthen our curriculum and allow our staff to be leaders among special education professionals in New York City.
There is exceptional work happening year round to support our teachers and therapists. The following is a representative sampling of the type of impact the Fund for Teacher Excellence has had on our school.
Before coming to Parkside full time in the Fall of 2016, Roberta Favant worked in an inclusion program but was looking for a school whose resources were dedicated 100% to special needs students. “As a speech and language therapist, my purpose is to support special needs students, and I wanted to work is a setting designed for them. The Parkside program places a particular emphasis on language learning, and that has been the focus of my practice over the years,” she said. Ms. Favant had attended professional development workshops at Parkside, including the Constable Reading sessions as part of the Parkside Summer Institute, and a Carol Gray lecture on social stories. “The workshops were excellent, as is the reputation Parkside holds in the special education community, she recalls.
Ms. Favant took some time to share with us her unique perspective on The Parkside School, our students, and our philosophy of teaching.
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